What is ENERGY STAR®?
ENERGY STAR was created in 1992 and is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The program is considered an international standard for identifying and promoting energy-efficient products that reduce consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Although the program was created in the United States, many other countries-Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, and the European Union-have also adopted the program as their standard.
Participation in the program is considered voluntary for manufacturers and individual products in a company’s catalog can be qualified as ENERGY STAR. The first products to pass the stringent qualifications and proudly wear the blue label were computers and monitors. The label is now affixed to over 60 product categories (and thousands of models) including:
- Major Appliances
- Home Electronics
- Office Equipment
- Lighting
- Buildings
HOW MUCH CAN I SAVE?
The typical American household spends nearly $2,000 a year on energy bills to power appliances and electronics. When using qualified products, savings can reach 30 percent or more and return $700 back into your bank account. These savings also show a marked reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the fears of going “green” with consumer products is they won’t perform as well as their energy-burning counterparts. Not true. Qualified products deliver the same or even better performance as comparable models while using less energy to operate. With energy bills being a hot news topic on the minds of consumers, conservation can also come in the form of what to do when you’re not using a product.
You might be surprised to learn that products-even ENERGY STAR qualified products-use electricity whether they are on or off. It doesn’t matter if the appliance is off but plugged directly into the wall or if your cell phone charger is plugged into the wall but your phone is in your pocket-they both use waste electricity. If you’re working online but want to run to the refrigerator for a snack, put your computer to sleep. The five minutes you just spent eating your sandwich and chips just conserved some energy.
WHAT CAN I DO?
The first thing a consumer can do when shopping for a new appliance or electronic item is place ENERGY STAR at the top of their checklist. Even if you already own qualified products, there are other things you can do to ensure you’re conserving energy.
Washers – Don’t run your washer until you have a full load and always wash in cold water, if possible. An ENERGY STAR qualified washer will save 75,000 gallons of water over its lifetime and save you $550 at the same time.
Televisions – An ENERGY STAR qualified model is 30 percent more energy-efficient. Simply turning off the TV when you’re not in the room will save a lot of energy.
Computers – If you really need to leave your desktop or laptop computer on when you leave the room, let it take a nap while you’re gone by putting it to sleep.
Light Bulbs – When the light bulbs in your home burn out, replace them with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). They are 75 percent more energy efficient than a traditional incandescent bulb, last as much as 10 times longer, and produce 75 percent less heat.
Ceiling Fans – An ENERGY STAR qualified ceiling fan is 50 percent more energy efficient and spins quieter and faster. To ensure your ceiling fan is operating at its optimum, set the fan to spin clockwise in winter and counterclockwise in summer.
ENERGY SPENT – Where did it all go?
If you were to take inventory of every single item in your home that consumes electricity, the number would probably surprise you. Additional items-multiple TVs, gaming systems, and the freezer in the garage-all affect your family’s annual utility bill even more. Let’s look at a typical household’s annual utility bill and see where the money went and how much you can save:
|
Heating Cooling Water Heater Other Lighting Washer/Dryer Refrigerator Dishwasher TV, VCR, DVD Computer/Monitor |
$688 $257 $245 $239 $184 $107 $87 $47 $35 $22 |
|
TOTAL |
$1,900 |
If all 10 items listed were using ENERGY STAR qualified products, your family could save 30 percent off your utility bill which equates to $600 annually. That amounts to more money than your water heater, lighting, washer/dryer, TV, and computer combined!
The average house is responsible for 22,000 lbs of greenhouse gas emissions per year-twice as much as the average car. An ENERGY STAR qualified home can prevent 4,500 lbs of greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere each year.
QUALIFICATIONS
Manufacturers go the extra mile when preparing and submitting their products for qualification testing. Their research and development teams specifically design products with the ENERGY STAR qualification in mind. Each product category has different qualifications that must be met.
Dishwashers – Must use at least 41 percent less energy than the federal minimum standard for energy consumption.
Refrigerators – Must use at least 20 percent less energy than required by current federal standards and use 40 percent less energy than conventional models sold in 2001.
Freezers – Must use at least 10 percent less energy than required by current federal standards.
Computer Monitors – Must use from 25-60 percent less electricity than standard models, depending on how they are used.
Televisions – Must use approximately 30 percent less energy than standard units.
Home Audio – Must use approximately 6 percent less energy than standard models.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In 2008, Americans-with the help of ENERGY STAR-saved $19 billion on their energy bills and avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 29 million cars. Since the program’s inception, Americans have purchased more than 2.5 billion ENERGY STAR qualified products. And it doesn’t stop there-qualification has branched out to businesses, street lights, vending machines, and more.
Through its partnership with more than 15,000 public and private sector organizations, ENERGY STAR will continue to provide the tools and technical information to both consumers and businesses so they can make informed, energy-efficient decisions.
Still have questions?-feel free to speak with an hhgregg associate. We offer the best-educated associates in the business who are smart enough to make it simple. Price and Advice Guaranteed!
